When it was first
announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that Brock Lesnar would be
fighting for them, many people were skeptical of his fighting ability. A former
WWE superstar and NCAA wrestling national champion, he is an unbelievable
athlete with astounding quickness for his size.

If there is one thing
you can’t deny, it’s that Lesnar was not given an easy debut opponent in the
Octagon. He was pitted against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. When
the fight started, it looked like Lesnar was going to buzz saw right through
the former champion. He took Mir down immediately and proceeded to unleash a
brutal series of strikes. But in a transition, Mir instinctively tangled up
Lesnar’s leg and caught him in a kneebar.

If nothing else,
everyone saw that Brock Lesnar is for real, but still a newcomer to the sport.
With more experience, however, he could become a legitimate contender in the
heavyweight division.

Now he will make his
return to the Octagon on Saturday night against “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath
Herring. Lesnar spoke with MMAWeekly Radio about his upcoming bout. “Everything
is good. Just wrapping things up this week,” said the Minnesota native. “I had
a solid training camp. I couldn’t ask for anything more except a victory.”

Taking on top
opposition is something that Lesnar is accustomed to and with an experienced
veteran like Herring; once again, he will have a tough task ahead.

“I think it’s something
I had to do in general. I don’t know any different. I didn’t want any
hand-me-outs or anything like that,” said a confident Lesnar. “If I was going
to do this, I’m going to do this full blown. I’ve been an athlete my whole
life. He has more fights than I do and more experience, I guess, in the fight
game, but this camp I really surrounded myself with many different people. I
brought Travis Wiuff into this camp. I brought in Brad Imes. Just different
guys to challenge me in different areas. It was a good camp.”

There’s a famous saying
that you learn from your mistakes. Lesnar is a student of the game and had
realized the biggest mistake he made against Mir. “Just be patient. I have 15
minutes to win this fight. I just got to be smart. I showed a little immaturity
on my behalf by making a wrong move. If Brock Lesnar were to fight the Brock
Lesnar then, I’d beat him. I just try to learn and grow and evolve my game
every game. I’m just eager to learn and evolve and I have to if I want to be a
contender in the heavyweight division. I’ve always had the mindset that I don’t
know everything. You learn something new every day. That’s the honest-to-God
truth.”

Heath Herring has
fought some of the top fighters in this sport including Fedor Emelianenko,
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. Due to his
long-standing career, Lesnar has had an opportunity to review his fights. “I
feel very confident going into this fight. We really left no stone unturned.
With Heath, we know his game plan. We kind of know what he’s all about. We’re
going to try to control this fight and not get excited about anything really.
Pick and choose my openings and come away with a victory.

“Heath has had a long
career. I don’t know if he’s at the end of his career or not. We’re prepared
for whatever Heath Herring shows up that night. There’re many different Heaths
and we’re prepared for all of them and I believe it.”

Herring isn’t called
the Texas Crazy Horse for no reason. He’s an extremely talented, capricious
fighter. Lesnar believes that may be the most difficult part of training for
him. “The hardest part of training for Heath was is that he’s unpredictable,”
stated Lesnar. “You don’t know what he’s going to bring that evening. Our main
goal in this fight is just to suffocate him and control him. There’s no
surprises. For me, I’m full boar. I’m going to stay close to him and avoid his
kicks and his solid right hand. I believe on the ground, we’re going to control
him.”

UFC 87 will take place
in Minneapolis, Minn., which is Lesnar’s back yard. Excessive traveling had a
major role in his decision to not pursue his professional wrestling career. A
fight in his home state is right up his alley. “For me, I don’t have to get on
a damn airplane. I’m going to sleep in my own bed. I think home field advantage
plays a big part. But you know Heath is going to try to come here and take that
away from me, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that
doesn’t happen.”

There has been a lot of
speculation that this fight is do-or-die for Lesnar. He believes that he needs
a win here to keep himself afloat in the UFC. “For me, I’ve lost my debut fight
and like I said, I’m a sore loser. I don’t want to lose. It’s going to be
gangbusters on Aug. 9 to win. Look at anybody. You don’t see anybody hanging
around in the UFC with a losing record,” said Lesnar.

However, win or lose,
he doesn’t plan on quitting anytime soon. “This is my job. I’m here. As long as
I’m winning and as long as I’ll be a contender in the heavyweights, I’ll be
around for a while.”

The one thing that defines
who Brock Lesnar is as a person is his perseverance and his desire to excel at
any task. He believes that is why he is the athlete that he is today and why he
can set lofty goals for himself. “I strive to be the best at whatever I do.
That has never changed. My plan is to one day hold the UFC heavyweight belt. I
haven’t changed my mind at all.”